Snowboarding: White wins third Olympic gold after halfpipe showdown

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (Reuters) – Shaun White cemented his legacy as the most successful snowboarder of all time after winning a third Olympic gold medal in a spectacular Pyeongchang Winter Games halfpipe final at Phoenix Snow Park on Wednesday.

White scored 97.75 on his final run to pip Japan’s Ayumu Hirano to the gold, while Australian Scotty James took bronze.

White’s victory also gave the United States its 100th gold medal in Winter Olympics history.

White, who also won Olympic gold in 2006 and 2010, needed to beat Hirano’s score of 95.25 to win on the final run of the day and the 31-year-old produced an almost-flawless run.

The United States have won all four snowboarding golds awarded at the Games so far.